China’s TikTok has launched a new promotional tool for Hollywood to drive engagement. “Studios will never miss another opportunity to meaningfully engage with their fandoms,” the mind-control app announced.
“Until now, there has never been a reliable way for marketers to tap into this unique ecosystem,” TikTok said Thursday, before announcing Spotlight, a tool the company says will make “it easy for studios to harness the power of TikTok for upcoming releases and library content.”
“TikTok Spotlight works with studios to identify the right creators and corresponding incentives to encourage authentic creation around their favorite films and shows,” TikTok explained, adding that the best-in-class influencers on the app will then be amplified across the platform.
The Spotlight tool also attributes an anchor link to applicable videos that drives users to a dedicated landing page where they can find more details, such as synopsis, cast, official accounts, and a collection of other creator content linked to the same title.
This allows “fans to explore the fandom and conversation around the title, fully immersing themselves in the community,” TikTok said.
Users can also watch content on streaming platforms or purchase movie tickets directly from the landing page.
TikTok also touts Spotlight as “a comprehensive analytics dashboard” where studios can gain insight into their fandoms and how they are interacting with a particular project. They can look at the platform, identify title content, then track how its performing and who is engaging, the app said.
Spotlight also finds developing trends and conversations in real-time, “ensuring studios will never miss another opportunity to meaningfully engage with their fandoms,” TikTok added.
Moreover, studios can see how their IP is being used, allowing them to decide which content to protect and which to offer copyright cooperation.
The Chinese app also noted that it has partnered with HBO’s House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones to activate TikTok Spotlight.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. leveraged the platform to promote Dune: Part Two with a curated search hub, movie anchor and detail page, and a gamified call-to-action to the creator community to produce related TikTok videos to unlock custom Dune profile frames to decorate their avatars.
Cameron Curtis, EVP Digital Marketing at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, called TikTok Spotlight “an invaluable tool in our marketing arsenal.”
“By leveraging TikTok Spotlight, we’ve been able to organically amplify our reach, engage with a diverse audience, and create authentic connections around our films, generating dynamic conversations and user-generated content that elevate the social buzz around our movies,” Curtis said.
While TikTok focuses on connecting studios to their fans, the Chinese app is facing multiple lawsuits brought by several mourning families who say the social media platform is directly responsible for the deaths of their children.
In addition to showing itself as a danger to kids and teens, TikTok — owned by ByteDance, which is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party — is widely considered a national security threat by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and has been banned from U.S. government devices.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
